A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.
U.S. District Clinton Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats to grant a preliminary injunction to stop the citizenship requirement from moving forward while the lawsuit plays out.
She also blocked part of the Republican president’s executive order requiring public assistance enrollees to have their citizenship assessed before getting access to the federal voter registration form.
But she denied other requests from a group of Democratic plaintiffs, including refusing to block Trump’s order to tighten mail ballot deadlines. Also denied in the order was the Democrats’ request to stop Trump from directing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency to review state voter lists alongside immigration databases.
The judge’s order halts the Trump administration’s efforts to push through a proof-of-citizenship mandate that Republicans have said is needed to restore public confidence in elections. Voting in federal elections by noncitizens is already illegal and can result in felony charges and deportation.
Two groups of nonpartisan organizations and a group of national Democrats had sued to block Trump’s order, calling it unconstitutional. They argued it violates the Constitution’s so-called Elections Clause, which gives states, not the president, the authority to determine how elections are run.
The plaintiffs also argued that Trump’s order asserts power that he does not have over an independent agency. That agency, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, sets voluntary voting system guidelines and maintains the federal voter registration form.
Opinion
This might be a correct ruling, but it is a pity that nothing can be done with the corrupt leaders of some states.
It may be illegal for noncitizens to vote, but they can and do. It turns out Congress passed something in the US code, the federal code, a line that, unbeknownst to the rest of us, makes it legal for illegal aliens to vote in federal elections if they believe they are citizens. It’s a state of mind.
Additionally, it is relatively easy for undocumented individuals to register to vote, thanks to the DMV and the rules established by various states’ Democratic majorities. Motor Voter destroyed the security of our elections.
The DMV registers them. It’s their default to provide them with a voter registration form automatically. Many states have made it a policy.
CNN admitted last September that several states had already conducted audits and discovered that noncitizens were registered to vote. This applies to several swing states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Georgia.
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